A $17.4 million weekend gross for Titanic isn't exactly sad — but it's a little disappointing, given that at one point, Titanic was the highest grossing film of all time. James Cameron's 3D conversion could not compete with The Hunger Games, which once again took the top box-office spot, this time with $33.5 million. The film's current domestic gross is now more than $300 million.

And it's not like people aren't into nostalgia: American Reunion, the American Pie franchise's first theatrical sequel since 2003's American Wedding, also topped Titanic 3D. Its gross: $21.5 million.

Does this mean we're nearing the end of 3D conversions of '90s movies? Well, probably not. These re-releases still make money — and generally speaking, they do better than Titanic did.

The Leonardo DiCaprio-Kate Winslet movie failed to challenge the opening-weekend record posted last year by The Lion King ($30.2 million), and it failed to match this past winter's debut of Star Wars: Episode I-The Phantom Menace ($22.5 million).

There's something depressing about the almost universally reviled Phantom Menace doing better than a film that won the Academy Award for Best Picture. Then again, both films are pretty schlocky. And adding 3D, however effective a gimmick to lure people back into theaters, does nothing to flesh out flat characters.